Introducing My Pal, Anna Sugden

A PERFECT DISTRACTION

Harlequin SuperRomance

A face-off—head vs. heart 

For Jake Badoletti, this year is all about his career. He has a rare second chance to make the most of being a pro hockey player, so no parties, no scandals. Too bad he's met a woman who could sideline those plans. Maggie Goodman is not his usual type—right down to being a single mom. Still, the sizzling connection with this gorgeous brunette can't be ignored. 

With a little juggling and a lot of focus, Jake manages to have the game and Maggie. Then his performance on the ice suffers and a scandal erupts. Now he can't afford the distraction of Maggie…even if she is perfect for him.

READ A LITTLE … want it all

Debut SuperRomance author, Anna Sugden, is a three-time Golden Heart finalist who loves reading and writing happy endings as much as hockey! When not reading or watching hockey, she loves football, good food & wine, making simple cross-stitch projects, and collecting memorabilia, penguins and fab shoes! 

A former marketing executive and primary teacher, Anna lives in Cambridge, England, with her husband and two bossy black cats. Learn more about Anna, her heart-warming romances and her shoes at her website.

LET'S GET DISTRACTED

ANGI: How often to you get lost in a story?

ANNA: As often as I can, but not as often as I’d like! I LOVE reading, but life tends to get in the way - especially now that I’m a published author with real deadlines!

ANGI: What’s your favorite fairy tale?

ANNA: Cinderella - naturally <g>. Who wouldn’t want a fairy godmother, cute animal friends who help you overcome evil, a prince who loves the real you and … fab shoes ;) To paraphrase a great quote, it shows you how one shoe can change your life! Although, a glass slipper? Seriously?!

ANGI: What sound or noise do you love?

ANNA: Children laughing and playing. One of the lovely things about where we live is that the kids can play out safely. It always makes me smile to hear them outside my office window, playing the same old games we played when we were kids and having a blast.

ANGI: Fairy Tale or Action Adventure?

ANNA: Both - even better if it’s a combination of the two!

ANGI: What’s your favorite cartoon character?

ANNA: Oooh, this is a tricky one - I love cartoons and adore animated films! Top Cat was a big childhood favourite. He’s such a cool cat! I still giggle when I catch an episode. As a Disney lover, I love Tramp (from Lady and the Tramp) and the kittens from The Aristocats - Toulouse, Berlioz and Marie.

ANGI: Who’s your favorite villain?

ANNA: And another toughie! I’m a big fan of romantic suspense and romantic thrillers, so I always love the villain I’m reading about. They each seem creepier and scarier than the last! The one that always sticks out in my mind is Tess Gerritsen’s villain from The Surgeon. We won’t mention all the sporting villains I love to hate ;)

ANGI: What’s your favorite movie of all time?

ANNA: Another tough one - I love romantic movies and am a huge fan of old movies too. For the classics, it’s a tie between Charade (Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn) and Desk Set (Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy). For recent films, it’s a tie between You’ve Got Mail (Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks) and Tombstone (Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer and Dana Delany).

ANGI: What is your biggest vice?

ANNA: Vice? Me? <blinks innocently> Not falling for that one, huh? LOL Well, I guess my biggest vice is that I’m a collector - autographs, shoes, memorabilia, penguins, shoes, Moomins, cats … did I mention shoes? Luckily I have a very tolerant husband who is a bit of a collector too!

ANGI: Is there a “Blooper” in your story (it may have been changed before printing)?

ANNA: I don’t know that it’s a blooper as such, but I originally wrote A Perfect Distraction back in 2007, before the explosion of social media. I had to go through and change quite a bit of the communication and news media elements of the story to bring it up to date!

ANGI’S GOTTA ASK: My friend, it's great to have you on GLIAS today, celebrating your first release with you. There are so many questions I could ask you… But I'm going to stay focused on A PERFECT DISTRACTION.  Tell us about something that distracted you will writing this book.

ANNA'S GOTTA ANSWER:  Thanks so much, Angi - it’s extra special to be able to celebrate the release of A Perfect Distraction with you, my friend!

Well, it would have to be the research. You know, I had to go to all those hockey games and practices, meet all those hunky players (some of whom were only half-dressed!), ride a Zamboni J and go round my home team’s - New Jersey Devils - arena. I could have done without the ripe aroma of the locker room, but I had a blast. You can read about some of the fun I had on my website in the ‘For Readers’ section.

FIND ANNA

Contact     Website  Facebook  Twitter @AnnaSugden

Goodreads    Pintrest   Romance Bandits  

I blog on the 22nd of every month. I also post news and fun stuff on my website.

UP NEXT for ANNA

The second book in the New Jersey Ice Cats series will be out next summer. This is Tru and Jenny’s book, for those who have read A Perfect Distraction J

ANNA is giving away  a signed copy of A Perfect Distraction and a special pack of Royal Mail Jane Austen Commemorative stamps.  This is an International giveaway, so be certain to leave your email addresses.

Note: COMMENTERS are encouraged to leave a contact email address to speed the prize notification process. Offer void where prohibited. Prizes will be mailed to North America addresses only unless specifically mentioned in the post. Odds of winning vary due to the number of entrants. Winners of drawings are responsible for checking this site in a timely manner. If prizes are not claimed in a timely manner, the author may not have a prize available. Get Lost In A Story cannot be responsible for an author's failure to mail the listed prize. GLIAS does not automatically pass email addresses to guest authors unless the commenter publicly posts their email address.

DON’T FORGET to FOLLOW us on Twitter #GetLostStories or LIKE us on Facebook to keep up with all our guest authors and their prizes. Join me tomorrow when I host RITA finalist Anna Lee Huber. And come back for FIRST FRIDAYS with the Crew. ~Angi

ANNA WANTS TO KNOW: Which sporting hero would you like to meet? Or, if you don’t have a sporting hero, which famous person who isn’t an actor?